Sandan Svay comes from a small village about an hour from Phnom Penh.. Like the up-and-coming Cambodians of his generation, Sandan speaks English very well and is planing on taking another tourism course.
Sandan has a photographer’s eye and enjoys taking pictures of rural life in his hometown. This is his first exhibit. The photos have been left full size so you can appreciate the scope of his work. The text has been spliced in to provide a context.
Enjoy the exhibit, Jody
Life in the Cambodian Countryside
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children.
The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. 
She She keeps many things on her bed because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren.
She has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
Planting rice is very difficult work. People have to work from dawn to dust. It is physically demanding and makes people very tired and sore. But if they don’t do the work they cannot eat.
Planting vegetables is also hard work. But people do not mind too much because they get to eat them or sell them at the market.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.
In a small house that is far from the village lives an old couple who don’t get any help from their children. The husband, Mr. Churn, is 72 years old and cannot work because he is sick all the time. His wife’s name is Sim. She is 69 years old and needs to work hard in the rice fields to make some money to support her husband and herself. They do not have any rice field, so it’s hard for them to live in the countryside. Here is her house next to the kitchen.
Mrs. Som is 76 years old. She uses her bed for many things because her house is a small one and she shares it with her daughter and five grandchildren. She is strong and still works hard every day. She plants some vegetables and then she sells them for money to help her daughter and the grandchildren. When she is hungry, she has to cook food for herself in the open kitchen. This is also the place for the cows to sleep.
This is the house of a HIV lady in my village. Her name is Pat, 42 years old. She cannot work and now she lives with her son at home. Her husband died six or seven years ago because of HIV. Then she sold her big house and bought this small one. Unfortunately, she was not at home when I took this photo.
This is the house of a poor family in my village. Mrs. Sor is the mother of four children. She cannot work because her health is not good. So she needs help from her husband who works in a construction site. He makes small money, as he does not have any skills for his work. Sometimes he breaks everything in the house when he gets drunk.
It’s a brilliant culture for people who live in the countryside. When you are busy preparing something for any special occasion, they will come to help you immediately. Some are good in cooking, so they will cook and some will help with cleaning or washing the soiled dishes or the pots and pans. They are helpful and it’s very hard to find this kind of friendliness in the city.
Life is good if we know how to make it good. Everyone of us has different conditions for our lives. Please enjoy and be satisfied with what we have got now.